The Nintendo DS and Sony PSP handheld classic GTA Chinatown Wars is now available to download from Apple’s App store for your iPhone or iPod Touch for the quite frankly bargain price of £5.99. If you’ve never played this game before we recommend you do, as it was one of last year’s best handheld games, and at that price it is an absolute steal. (pun intended!)
Graphics are a step up from the DS, but don't quite reach the heights reached by the PSP.
Early signs are that the game is a very faithful recreation of the DS and PSP versions, bar the dual screens and analogue controls. Graphics look like the middle ground between DS and PSP, with better resolution than the DS, but not quite matching the lighting and textures of the PSP.
I spotted this just the other day! I was already torn on which one to get on either my PSP or DSi, now I’m ripped three ways!
Still, it’s good to see GTA might reach even more people.
I’d definitely recommend the DS version anyway, the touch screen mini games are great, and the dual screens are handy for the maps and inventorys. The PSP version looks better, but obviously the touch screen aspect is a miss. The iPhone version does look pretty good, and for £6 you can’t go wrong! Although the screen does look cluttered with icons and the touch joypad does take up some of the screen as well.
Yeah, I’ve been wrestling with the better graphics/touch screen mini games thing for a while. Infact, that’s exactly where my problem lies. So you think the touch mini games a fun enough to sacrafice the graphics then?
I would say the mini games are a lot more fun on the DS, from hot wiring a car, to smashing out a car windscreen, putting together a sniper rifle and scratching lottery cards! The interface is a lot slicker as well. The game was designed for the DS so I’d go with that version. The choice is yours mate.
There is no graphics sacrifice. GTA Chinatown Wars looks gorgeous on the DS, it’s the best game on the DS. I played it solid for hours a day for at least two months. It is one of the best GTA games, right up there with the console ones. It has most in common with GTA III. As said before the dual screens make using the map, inventory etc much easier. Sometimes it is awkward having the stylus close to hand but the touch screen mini games really ADD to the game. The drug dealing is very good as well. Without reservation I recommend this game on the DS.
Alrighty then, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be getting it on DS then. I have to say, I’m a sucker for pretty graphics but good mechanics are the things that make me smile. Thanks for the advice guys, I’m off to the shops…
I actually enjoyed Chinatown Wars more than GTA 4. The missions were a lot more varied in Chinatown Wars, which has you donning a Dragon suit to escape capture, and disposing of other cars during a street race to let someone else win the race, as well as the myriad of mini games dotted around. It was simply a lot more fun, and the return of the Rampages really were the icing on the cake.
KrazyFace, did you get it yet?
Not yet, I have a very good friend sending me his copy so I don’t have to fork out for it! Talk about a win-win situation.
THIS IS A BIG SHOUT-OUT TO MY MATE JIM CRIKEY FOR BEING SO COOL AND SENDING ME GTA FOR THE DS, AAAAANND DARKSIDERS!!!!
THANKS MAN! YOU RULE!!!!
I totally affirm Kevin’s statement that mini games are a lot more fun on the DS. There are certain games that are more appropriate to iPhone or iPod Touch, I’m not quite sure if GTA Chinatown Wars is one of them.
We shall see, I have it on good authority that Critical Gamer might be doing a review for it on iPhone. Is that right guys?